(20 Sep 2021, 12:46 pm)Michael wrote Due to a national driver shortage, reflecting labour shortages now being seen in many sectors across the country, and a short-term increase in sickness absence, we are making some temporary changes to a small number of our high-frequency services from Saturday 25 September.


https://www.gonortheast.co.uk/temporary-...-september

I'd have thought they could still run those special services on key dates in the lead up to Christmas mind.
Thinking goth weekend and Whitby as an example.
License to print money, with goths, steampunks and whatever else people identify as - coming from all four corners of the UK. Including (I assume), Tyneside.

(20 Sep 2021, 1:49 pm)ASX_Terranova wrote Could they have spaced the buses out a bit more heading towards Lambton & Ayton from The Galleries. It was also a problem before the changes as well. Depending on time of day and/or delays you could have the 82, 84 & 50 all leave directly one after another.

There's so much more that could be done on a number of routes. Not just those ones. 

Appreciate there is a bigger picture to look at re headway through Lambton with the 2/2a and then the likes of the 78 on Chester Road, but utilising the resource better could not only save money, it could make money too!